Keeping current in wellness, in and out of the water

On the 26th, Love is Wise. It’s the answer for everything. Oh, and ignore the darkness, your fear of change, and the Powers-That-Be; just for today, they can’t touch you. And you’re welcome. (That’s my answer to you thanking me for not posting an MC Hammer video). Instead we’ve got Today’s word image:a Tarot card […]

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The day starts off on a productive note for the Taurus Moon as she enjoys a trine to Pluto in Capricorn. However by midday she has to put up with distractions from Jupiter in Libra and then the Sun-Saturn conjunction in Sagittarius. What sounds like fun to those boisterous planets may cause the home loving […]

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This July, 2015 is full of unusual astrological events. The most obvious is the blue moon in Aquarius on 31 July at the end of this week. This second full moon in a month is rare, and will not occur again until January, 2018. In astrology terms, the sky is full of aspects, squares and retrograde planets that do not bode well for relationships and power struggles.

Full moon is a time of plenty, a time to reap and be grateful. As tides swell and retreat, the moon (from our point of view) grows large until it is directly opposite the sun at full moon, and then it diminishes in size. Since ancient times farmers have followed the moon’s phases to find the right times to plant or harvest, feed, or weed the crops. The new moon begins a cycle which comes to fullness about 2 weeks later when it reaches fullness. Each new moon I make a mental and physical sweep of my space, clearing and cleaning. I have learned that for me this important step makes clear a new beginning. Projects that have been abandoned can be refreshed on the new moon. Obvious excess, including commitments that don’t benefit me, are examined for possible removal at the new moon. It reminds me of soil preparation and planting seeds. During the time between new and full your enthusiasm and efforts must continue to nurture the new project or you will arrive at the full moon with little to show. A continuum of careful execution must be carried out with mindful purpose in order to attain the goal, or the harvest we desire. Each new moon is a chance to start anew. Each full moon is a time to count our blessings and feel our successes.

This special blue moon seems to me an excellent time to examine life goals, large and small. Relationships from the past may be haunting the present. This week my meditation is about cleaning up and forgiving in order to move into the future with ease. This task is simple, but it always needs to be repeated, at least in my life. I wish all my gentle readers a joyous and adventurous blue moon.

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Planting by the moon is a simple way to increase your luck at growing anything. By planting annuals bearing fruit above the ground during the waxing phase of the moon ( new to full), and sewing plants that bear under the ground during the waning moon ( full to new) we follow ancient traditions of horticulture. To easily determine in what phase of the moon you find yourself, remember this rule: Crescent moon makes the shape of the letter C when the moon is on the wane. The moon has the shape of a capital D when it is on the rise. Think DOC–first D– then full moon–then C to remember the sequence.

Medicine was tightly constrained by local botany in history, limited to plants available and known. The natures of the plants were studied and knowledge of remedies was shared. However, before transport of goods became easy people used local plants as medicine because they had both access and some empirical evidence of the medicinal qualities. Astrology was part of pharmacology and medicine. Gardens and buildings were designed with healing and astrology in mind. Today there are ways to incorporate the heavens into garden design. The medicine wheel is one way to express the seasons and the heavenly connections. At Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, MA a humoural garden is planted to display the relationship the Pilgrims had with plants and healing. They considered the relationship of the plants to the humors of the body. They had to rely on the plants they brought with them and those that the native people showed them.

Some gardens are designed to feature the four directions, or the elements. If you had unlimited time and money to create a symbolic garden what would you plant in it? What kind of medicine would you practice? I am fond of all the aromatic plants, so I have a vast array of herbs and flowers that can be used in tea, baths, cooking, and now in bitters. The creativity you invest in a garden returns to you many times.